Playing Erin Lindsay on NBC’s drama “Chicago P.D.” was a dream come true for Sophia Bush — until it wasn’t.
The actress made a recent appearance on Refinery 29’s “UnStyled” podcast and talked about why she left the show.
Bush called the role her “dream job.”
“I landed this job that, since I was 20 years old and trying to become an actor, I said I wanted,” she said. “And aspects of it, don’t get me wrong, were wonderful. But, I realized by the end of the second season I couldn’t do that job anymore.”
“I don’t have to give everyone the specific breakdown of exactly why I left until I’m ready to do that,” Bush added.
The star stayed for four seasons. She said she gave her bosses plenty of notice by letting them know between the third and fourth seasons that she would not be returning.
“I understand how the business works and how women are treated. I said, ‘I’m giving you not two weeks notice and I’m not coming in here throwing s**t and breaking lamps and saying I’m never coming back,'” she said. “I’m giving you 23-episodes notice.”
As for backlash from fans who were unhappy with her departure from the series, Bush said said it helped to have a sense of humor about it.
“It is tough to read thousands and thousands of comments of people; them just being, like, ‘You have no respect for us and you didn’t tell us,’ and it’s like, you know what? I had to respect myself in a situation where I didn’t feel respected,” Bush said.
